Mission & History

Mission

The mission of HawkWatch International is to conserve our environment through education, long-term monitoring, and scientific research on raptors as indicators of ecosystem health.

History

It all started with a few treks up the trail-less slopes of steep western mountains in search of the migrating raptors. And then, in 1986, nearly a decade after HWI founder Steve Hoffman first began his pioneering effort to learn more about raptor migration in the U.S. west, HawkWatch International (HWI) was born. Since then, the organization has counted, banded, gawked at, gauged, and gathered data on millions of birds heading south for the winter.

Over the years, our efforts to sustain and protect these remarkable creatures have led us to study and learn from them during all aspects of their lives, from spring nesting to fall migration and winter survival. What we have learned has informed land managers, other scientists, and people like you about what raptors need to survive among a rapidly changing landscape.